Glass bottle with engraved label and method therefor

ABSTRACT

A glass bottle having a body adapted to contain a beverage with a label that carries a predetermined information, and a method for engraving the label are provided. The label is engraved on a predetermined portion of the body by selectively removing glass from the body. The selective glass removal is performed by applying high pressure jet of abrasive material onto a sanding film adhered to the predetermined portion of the body. The predetermined information includes letters and/or images provided by a user. The predetermined information is edited with a computer program, in a way that the edited information is suitable for printing on a sanding film. The sanding film has a property of resisting abrasion selectively according to specific portions of the predetermined information printed thereon, so that glass of the bottle are removed on an area corresponding the adhered sanding film except the specific portions.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a glass bottle for alcoholic beveragebottle with engraved label and a method for providing such glass bottle.More particularly, this invention relates to a glass bottle foralcoholic beverage having a label engraved on the external surface ofthe bottle according to customized design that a user wants, and amethod for engraving such customized design to a glass bottle.

Alcoholic beverages such as wines, whiskies and brandies are frequentlyselected as gifts due to their popularity and symbolic meanings forcongratulation of specific events including birthday, graduation, launchof business, etc. While luxurious and beautiful packages or paper cardscarrying congratulation messages have been widely used for representingthe messages of those who send the beverages as gifts, such means forcarrying congratulation messages are separate from the glass bottle thatcontains the beverages.

Glass bottles for high-priced alcoholic beverages usually have anauthentic design, and such design is a vital part showing the value ofthe gift. It would be highly desirable for the glass bottle itself tocarry messages for gift permanently.

Prior art did not provide an efficient and versatile method forproviding such permanent messages or images on a glass bottle foralcoholic beverage.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention contrives to solve the disadvantages of the priorart.

An objective of the invention is to provide a glass bottle that carriesa permanently engraved label.

Another objective of the invention is to provide a glass bottle having apermanent label engraved on the bottle according to a design customizedto a user's request.

Still another objective of the invention is to provide a method ofengraving a permanent label, which is customized to a user's request, ona glass bottle.

To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides a glassbottle including a body adapted to contain a beverage and a spoutconnected to the body for dispensing the beverage. The body includes alabel that carries a predetermined information. The label is engraved ona predetermined portion of the body by selectively removing glass fromthe body. The selective glass removal is performed by applyinghigh-pressure jet of abrasive material onto a sanding film adhered tothe predetermined portion of the body. The sanding film carries thepredetermined information.

The predetermined information includes letters and/or images provided bya user or customer.

Alternatively, the predetermined information is selected by a customerfrom an existing collection of information.

The predetermined information is edited with a computer program, in away that the edited information is suitable for printing on a sandingfilm.

One surface of the sanding film is self-adhesive so that the sandingfilm can be attached to the body of the glass bottle.

The sanding film has a property of resisting abrasion selectivelyaccording to specific portions of the predetermined information printedthereon, so that glass of the bottle are removed on an areacorresponding the adhered sanding film except the specific portions.

The depth of removal is controlled to a predetermined value.

The selected portion of the engraved label may be plated to have a colorthat is different from the color of the glass bottle. Preferably, thecolor is gold.

Preferably, the selected portion that is plated is the portion in whichglass has been removed.

The present invention provides a method for engraving a permanent,customized label on a glass bottle.

The method includes the steps of (a) receiving information for thecustomized label from a customer, (b) printing the information on asanding film, (c) firmly attaching the sanding film on a predeterminedportion of the body of the glass bottle, and (d) engraving the label.

The label is engraved by selectively removing glass from the body. Theselective glass removal is performed by applying high pressure jet ofabrasive material onto the sanding film.

The label engraving step includes moving the glass bottle relative tothe high pressure jet so that specific portion of the sanding film isexposed to the high pressure jet at a given moment.

The printing step includes a step of editing the information from theuser with a computer program, in a way that the edited information issuitable for printing the sanding film.

The advantages of the present invention are: (1) a customized label thatcarries unique messages for each glass bottle is provided; (2) theunique label is permanently engraved on the glass bottle; (3) the labelgreatly enhances the value of wine or liquor that is sent as a gift; (4)a customer has a variety of choice for combined images and messages; (5)the aesthetic appearance of the unique label is further enhanced by theplating applied selectively on an image or letters; and (6) the messageengraved precisely in a shallow depth on the surface of the bottleprovides a clear and three-dimensional impression.

Although the present invention is briefly summarized, the fullerunderstanding of the invention can be obtained by the followingdrawings, detailed description and appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the presentinvention will become better understood with reference to theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a glass bottle having acustomized, permanently engraved label according to the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing the glass bottle is rotatedrelative to a high-pressure jet of abrasive materials;

FIG. 3 is a schematic enlarged view showing that glass is removedselectively at specified portions of the label;

FIG. 4 is a schematic elevation view showing the glass bottle is movedup and down relative to a high pressure jet of abrasive materials; and

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram showing a method of engraving a customized,permanent label on a glass bottle according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows a glass bottle 10 according to the present invention. Theglass bottle includes a body 12 that is adapted to contain a beveragesuch as wine or brandy and a spout 14 that is connected to the body 12for dispensing the beverage. The body 12 includes a label 16 thatcarries a predetermined information. The label 16 is engraved on apredetermined portion 13 of the body 12 by selectively removing glassfrom the body 12.

Referring to FIG. 3, the selective glass removal is performed byapplying a high-pressure jet 18 of abrasive material from a nozzle 20onto a sanding film 22 adhered to the predetermined portion 13 of thebody 12. The sanding film 22 carries the predetermined informationprovided by a customer.

The predetermined information includes letters and/or images provided bya user or customer.

Alternatively, the predetermined information is selected by a customerfrom an existing collection of information. The information on the label16 may include scanned images, and photographs from various sources.

The predetermined information is edited with a computer program, in away that the edited information is suitable for printing on the sandingfilm 22.

One surface of the sanding film 22 is self-adhesive so that the sandingfilm 22 can be attached to the body 12 of the glass bottle 10. That is,the sanding film 22 includes an adhesive layer 24 as shown in FIG. 3.

The sanding film 22 has a property of resisting abrasion selectivelyaccording to specific portions 26 of the predetermined informationprinted thereon, so that glass of the bottle 10 are removed on an areacorresponding the adhered sanding film 22 except the specific portions26.

The depth of removal is controlled to a predetermined value not toaffect the strength of the glass bottle 10 and to provide a fine anddelicate appearance.

The selected portion of the engraved label 16 may be plated to have acolor that is different from the color of the glass bottle 10.Preferably, the color is gold.

Preferably, the selected portion that is plated is the portion in whichglass has been removed.

As shown in FIG. 5, the present invention provides a method forengraving a permanent, customized label on the glass bottle 10.

The method includes step S10 of receiving information for the customizedlabel 16 from a user, step S12 of printing the information on a sandingfilm, step S18 of firmly attaching the sanding film 22 on apredetermined portion of the body 12 of the glass bottle 10, and stepS20 of engraving the label 16.

The label 16 is engraved by selectively removing glass from the surfaceof the body 12. The selective glass removal is performed by applyinghigh-pressure jet of abrasive material onto the sanding film 22.

The label engraving step S20 includes step S22 of moving the glassbottle 10 relative to the high pressure jet 18 or the nozzle 20 so thatspecific portion of the sanding film 22 is exposed to the high pressurejet 18 at a given moment. FIGS. 2 and 4 show an example of how thisrelative movement is achieved. The glass bottle 10 is fixed on aturntable 28. The turntable 28 can rotate and move up and down asindicated by arrows.

The printing step S12 includes a step S14 of editing the informationfrom the user with a computer program, in a way that the editedinformation is suitable for printing the sanding film 22.

The method further includes step S16 of selecting a specific glassbottle 10 and measuring dimension of the glass bottle 10 between stepS12 and S18. That is, a specific glass bottle corresponds a specificbrand and size of wine or liquor that the customer chose. And a suitablesize of the sanding film 22 and specific position on the body 12 of theglass bottle 10 where the sanding film 22 are determined based on thedimension measured or stored in a database for particular size and brandof wine or liquor.

After step S20, the method further includes step S24 of removing thesanding film 22 and step S26 of plating selective portions of the label16 and/or other finish.

The present invention can also be applied to other articles, which havea surface suitable to carry engraved images or letters for decorationpurpose. Examples of such articles include a mug, a glass, and a golfclub head etc.

While the invention has been shown and described with reference todifferent embodiments thereof, it will be appreciated by those skilledin the art that variations in form, detail, compositions and operationmay be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the inventionas defined by the accompanying claims.

1. A glass bottle comprising: a) a body adapted to contain a beverage,wherein the body comprises a label that carries a predeterminedinformation; and b) a spout connected to the body for dispensing thebeverage; wherein the label is engraved on a predetermined portion ofthe body by selectively removing glass from the body, wherein theselective glass removal is performed by applying high pressure jet ofabrasive material onto a sanding film adhered to the predeterminedportion of the body, wherein the sanding film carries the predeterminedinformation.
 2. The glass bottle of claim 1, wherein the predeterminedinformation includes letters provided by a user.
 3. The glass bottle ofclaim 1, wherein the predetermined information includes images providedby a user.
 4. The glass bottle of claim 3, wherein the predeterminedinformation includes letters provided by a user.
 5. The glass bottle ofclaim 1, wherein the predetermined information is selected by a userfrom an existing collection of information.
 6. The glass bottle of claim1, wherein the predetermined information is edited with a computerprogram, in a way that the edited information is suitable for printingon a sanding film.
 7. The glass bottle of claim 6, wherein one surfaceof the sanding film is self-adhesive whereby the sanding film can beattached to the body of the glass bottle.
 8. The glass bottle of claim6, wherein the sanding film has a property of resisting abrasionselectively according to specific portions of the predeterminedinformation printed thereon, whereby glass of the bottle are removed onan area corresponding the adhered sanding film except the specificportions.
 9. The glass bottle of claim 8, wherein the depth of removalis controlled to a predetermined value.
 10. The glass bottle of claim 8,wherein selected portion of the engraved label is plated to have a colorthat is different from the color of the glass bottle.
 11. The glassbottle of claim 10, wherein the color is gold.
 12. The glass bottle ofclaim 10, wherein the selected portion that is plated is the portion inwhich glass has been removed.
 13. A method for engraving a permanent,customized label on a glass bottle, wherein the glass bottle comprises abody adapted to contain a beverage, and a spout connected to the bodyfor dispensing the beverage, the method comprising the steps of: a)receiving information for the customized label from a user; b) printingthe information on a sanding film; c) firmly attaching the sanding filmon a predetermined portion of the body of the glass bottle; and d)engraving the label; wherein the label is engraved by selectivelyremoving glass from the body, wherein the selective glass removal isperformed by applying high pressure jet of abrasive material onto thesanding film.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the label engravingstep comprises moving the glass bottle relative to the high pressure jetwhereby specific portion of the sanding film is exposed to the highpressure jet at a given moment.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein theprinting step comprises a step of editing the information from the userwith a computer program, in a way that the edited information issuitable for printing the sanding film.
 16. The method of claim 15,wherein the wherein the sanding film has a property of resistingabrasion selectively according to specific portions of the informationprinted thereon, whereby glass of the bottle are removed on an areacorresponding the adhered sanding film except the specific portions. 17.The method of claim 16, wherein the depth of removal is controlled to apredetermined value.
 18. The method of claim 16, wherein selectedportion of the engraved label is plated to have a color that isdifferent from the color of the glass bottle.